Chapter 345 - 302: Bumper Harvest in Sight
Chapter 345: Chapter 302: Bumper Harvest in Sight
On the way back to Huping County, Xiao Man went on a tangent about men’s obsession with their first loves and asked Zheng Shaolian, "Are you going to be like Mo Chengfu? Speaking of which, have you had a first love? Who was she? Does Jun Ran count? You two were childhood sweethearts! Don’t you dare think it’s impossible. Sometimes, romantic feelings can develop without you even realizing it. If you don’t catch on in time, you might only understand how you felt years later, and by then, it’ll be too late for regrets!"
"Cut the crap! If I had even half a romantic thought about Jun Ran, I’d have to be crazy enough to be locked up in an asylum."
Zheng Shaolian saw Xiao Man’s sage-like expression and rolled his eyes at her. "You, little miss clueless, can’t even tell the difference between romantic love and family affection. Who are you trying to lecture? I think Mr. Tang is absolutely right. You’d be better off calling off that childhood engagement of yours. Otherwise, when you grow up and figure out who you really like, it might just be—too late for regrets!"
Xiao Man: ...
She rolled her eyes right back at him. Zheng Shaolian chuckled and reached out to pull her braid, but she dodged him.
’This guy... In her past life, he was still unmarried in his thirties, and she had no idea what happened to him after that. Now he was twenty-one, and she’d been planning to gently persuade him. If he met a girl he found attractive and compatible, he should start dating her. After all, fate is the kind of thing that will slip away if you don’t grab it.’
But who knew he’d just turn the lecture back on her? She decided to drop the subject entirely.
Dropping the topic, Xiao Man propped her chin in her hands, her face a picture of lovesick yearning as she thought of Gu Shaojun. "I wonder how he’s doing now. Is he getting used to the food there? What kind of people is he meeting? Forgetting to call is one thing, but he can’t even write a letter? Ugh, it’s like he’s vanished off the face of the earth!"
Zheng Shaolian: ...
He decided he didn’t want to deal with her anymore and just focused on driving. The little jeep tore down the gravel road, kicking up a long, white dragon of dust. They were still a ways from Ping County, but he had managed to cut the three-hour bus journey by more than half.
Before her evening self-study session, she went to the principal’s office to take a call from Hao Hao. As a rare honor student who had skipped a grade, she was treasured by the school. The principal was always smiling and friendly, so Xiao Man felt no pressure about chatting on the phone for a while.
She took the opportunity to ask for the Wu Family’s phone number and address, as well as the name of the middle school Tang Yaxuan attended. Hao Hao told Xiao Man that his mother, Wu Xiaowen, had been officially transferred back to work in Beijing. So, Xiao Man asked for Wu Xiaowen’s work address and phone number too, writing everything down on a piece of paper. She planned to call Mo Chengfu in the village the next day and instructed Hao Hao not to tell anyone she’d asked for the addresses.
Hao Hao asked why. Even if she didn’t want to acknowledge it, her relationship with the Wu Family was a fact, so asking for their address wasn’t strange. Xiao Man just laughed. "I want to do a good deed without leaving my name!"
Hao Hao was speechless. He had a feeling his sister was about to make a move, and someone was in for a world of hurt.
In July, after finishing her college entrance exams, Xiao Man said goodbye to Teacher Fan, Mr. Cheng, and Teacher Yu. She packed up all her belongings, moved out of her rental unit at the Water and Electricity Bureau, and returned to Gongdao Village.
The rice in the paddies was ripe, though it was not yet the optimal time to begin the harvest. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted from the vast fields. The sight of the thick, rolling waves of greenish-gold grain was enough to make the farmers’ hearts sing, their faces blooming with smiles. In the first year of the household responsibility system, the heavens had blessed them with favorable weather and a bumper crop. So much grain! After turning over a small portion to the state as a grain tax, the rest was all theirs! The income from selling the surplus alone was several times what they had earned back when they worked for the production team.
Naturally, the few acres of land that Grandpa had planted were also on track for a bumper harvest. Xiao Man felt a little thrill of anticipation about the rice seeds she had "bought" from the seed company in Wancheng. ’These dimensional grains seem to be growing normally enough in the outside world, but I wonder what they’ll taste like?’
’She had learned from the Jade Scroll that these dimensional grains and vegetables actually had proper names: "Spirit Rice" and "Spirit Vegetables." They had been evolved in the Cultivation World over countless years by optimizing mortal ingredients. And here she was, planting them back in the mortal world, allowing them to gradually degenerate. If any other Cultivators found out, they would definitely call her bored and a troublemaker.’
Xiao Man had told Grandpa and Grandma that the grain was a new variety sold in very small quantities by the seed company. She said they should grow it for themselves first to see if it was any good and that there was no need to spread the word. If relatives asked for seeds, they could give them some the year after next, but not to everyone who asked. They would have to play it by ear.
By mid-July, the climbing roses in the courtyard were in full bloom—vibrant, dewy, and as dense as a cluster of stars. The pears ripened, a treat loved by adults and children alike. Grandpa and Grandma didn’t plan on selling them; they gave some to neighbors and relatives to sample and left the rest on the tree for anyone to pick when they felt like it. The Spirit Gathering Array and defensive formation that Xiao Man had arranged enveloped the entire courtyard. Whether human or animal, nothing with ill intent could enter. As a result, the bright pears on the big tree hung safely on the branches, untouched by even a single pecking bird.
The tiered vegetables and melons in the back garden, not to be outdone, were also growing vigorously. They supplied the army base with two truckloads of vegetables a month. The kitchen staff was familiar with the route by now and drove over to pick them up on their own, no longer needing Zheng Shaolian to guide them.
The army base had a high demand for vegetables and melons. At first, they had only taken small amounts from Xiao Man’s home for a taste, but soon everyone from the officers to the enlisted men agreed that the vegetables from Gongdao Village were simply too delicious; produce bought elsewhere just couldn’t compare. They made a request to Grandpa, but he was busy with his herb garden and couldn’t take on more work. He reported the situation to Director Mo. Secretary Mo thought it over and mobilized several families in his clan to set aside dedicated vegetable plots. Using seeds from Xiao Man’s garden, they could grow vegetables to supply the army and also sell to the surrounding factories and mines.
The vegetable venture started small, but gradually, other canteens from organizations in the city heard about it and began driving over to buy produce themselves. Seeing that a new path had opened up, Secretary Mo made a sweeping gesture, calling on the villagers to plant more vegetables and fruits in addition to their grains to boost their income. The commune leaders offered their full support, even dispatching agricultural technicians to the village to provide guidance. Gongdao Village eventually became a major cultivation base for vegetables and fruits. The villagers’ incomes grew handsomely, and it became the first village in the entire commune—and even the county—to walk the path to prosperity through agriculture. But that is a story for another time.
Hao Hao couldn’t come to G Province for his summer vacation this year. The young man was mixing with a group of high-IQ adults, reportedly working on some research project or other.
Grandma Tang couldn’t visit either. She wrote a letter to Grandma, explaining that she was busy trying to get her eldest son married and couldn’t leave during such a crucial period. The gist was that she was making progress and a wedding was on the horizon! She told Grandma that whenever they were free, she should have Xiao Man call Beijing, and Grandpa Tang would arrange for their trip to the capital.
Another person in Beijing sent a telegram urging Xiao Man to return to the capital. It was, surprisingly, from Wu Yu Xuan. Xiao Man was speechless. ’Just how obsessed is that old man with that piece of Jade?’
With the summer harvest upon them, there was no way Xiao Man was going to run off to Beijing. She would think about it after the grain was brought in.